The present invention relates to a mounting device having a metallic base plate, from which multiple projections project, and a method for manufacturing such a mounting device.
In many industrial and other fields (e.g., construction, automobile construction, domestic use, etc.), it is typically necessary to fix metallic components or workpieces or connect them to other components. In this case, it is frequently desirable to produce the mounts and/or the connections in a simple way which may be performed rapidly, without special tools, such as welding or screwing tools, being necessary for fixing the fasteners. In the field of plastic components, such mounting is for instance achieved by using hook-and-loop closures as fasteners. However, these hook-and-loop closures are not employable for many uses, since they do not have the required durability and temperature stability and/or are not electrically conductive.
A method for manufacturing a metallic mounting device is already known from WO 2004/028731 A1. It is suggested that multiple oblong areas on the surface of a workpiece be melted using an electron beam, and the molten material be shifted along the longitudinal axis and then allowed to solidify again, so that a hole and an area projecting from the surface are formed in each case. In order to achieve a sufficient length of the projections, the method must be repeated multiple times. The workpiece is to be able to be connected to other workpieces by the resulting texturing of the surface, connections of workpieces made of metal and fiber composite material being cited as preferred. A device for generating an electron beam and a control device for controlling the beam are necessary for this method. In addition, the method must be repeated multiple times in order to obtain sufficiently large textures. The texturing of the surface according to this method is therefore relatively difficult and complex. High precision is also necessary in the manufacturing. Furthermore, it is not possible by means of the method to predefine specific shapes for the arrangement of the projections, which would be desirable for tailoring the adhesive properties of the textured surface of the workpiece to the material texture of the workpiece to be connected.
Because of the high cost and time pressure in production in industrial operations, particularly in the automobile industry, there is a need, as already noted above, for mounting devices, through which metallic components and devices in particular may be fixed and/or attached rapidly and easily, without additional tools or complex manufacturing methods being necessary. The mounting device is additionally to be durable and temperature-stable. Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to specify a mounting device of this type and a method for its manufacture, which ensures secure mounting of components in spite of relatively simple manufacturing, without additional tools being necessary for the fastening, and which is temperature-stable.
This object is achieved by the mounting device according to Claim 1 and the method according to Claim 20. Preferred embodiments and method variations are described in the particular subclaims. Furthermore, the present invention relates to the use of the mounting devices according to Claims 25 and 26.